After its first three stages raced in Bulgaria, the 109th Giro d’Italia held its first stage in Italy on Tuesday. UAE-Emirates, decimated with Jay Vine, Marc Soler and Adam Yates’ crash withdrawals in Bulgaria, won through Jhonatan Narvaez. Giulio Ciccone plucked the pink jersey from the shoulders of Stage 2 winner Thomas Guillermo Silva. Having spent part of the stage chasing with Egan Bernal, Derek Gee-West was top Canadian in 26th.
Preliminaries
Stage 2 winner Silva still held the pink jersey at the Giro reached Italy. Thirty-three fellows were within 10 seconds—the next rider after that was +1:05. Gee-West was in a platoon of guys +1:11.
The Course
The first day in Italy, in the midsole of the boot, was short at 135 km from Catanzaro to Cosenza (Costanza?) in Calabria and contained a single Cat. 2 climb in the second half of the route. The Red Bull Kilometre was after the climb on the way to the Cosenza finish line. It was a hot day for the field.
Hitting Italian soil elicited the biggest breakaway of the 109th edition so far, as six chaps lit out for glory soon after the start in Catanzaro. Three Italians, an Irishman, a Swiss and a Dane made up a breakaway that didn’t get more than 2:30 ahead of the peloton. Darren Rafferty was best placed on GC at +0:10.
Cat. 2 Cozzo Tunno was 14.4 km of 5.9 percent. With Movistar powering the peloton, many riders dribbled off the back and the fugitives’ gap decreased. The maglia rosa capitulated. The last of the escapees were lassoed with 50 km to race. Bernal was well-poised to take over pink from Silva, but he lost contact.
Movistar dragged a 55-strong peloton over the crest. The descent was 18 km long and it was soon into the drop that Gee-West had a mechanical and was left behind as Movistar continued to power the leading group. Gee-West and Bernal chased with a couple of others and they linked up with 17 km remaining.
At the end of the Red Bull Kilometre, white jersey Jan Christen nabbed six seconds, Guilio Pellizzari grabbed four and Ciccone claimed two.
It was time for the day’s conclusion. Four fellows were tied on time at the top of the GC: Florian Stork, Bernal, Ciccone and Christen. Could one of them snag enough seconds at the finish to pull ahead? Christen attacked from 1.5 km out. But he was overwhelmed, and as Orluis Aular, Ciccone and Ben Turner fought it out on the right hand side, Narvaez earned his third career Giro victory on the right.
Wednesday is a medium-hilly, 203-km day with a tough Cat. 2 climb peaking 50 km from the finish line.
2026 Giro d’Italia, Stage 4
1) Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador/UAE-Emirates) 3:08:46
2) Orluis Aular (Venezuela/Movistar) s.t.
3) Giulio Ciccone (Italy/Lidl-Trek) s.t.
26) Derek Gee-West (Canada/Lidl-Trek) s.t.
65) Nickolas Zukowsky (Canada/Pinarello-Q36.5) +2:55
2026 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Giulio Ciccone (Italy/Lidl-Trek) 16:18:51
2) Jan Christen (Switzerland/UAE-Emirates) +0:04
3) Florian Stork (Germany/Tudor) s.t.
30) Derek Gee West (Canada/Lidl-Trek) +1:11